Former Blue Raider shortstop Delgado drafted by the Atlanta Braves

MTSU's Riley Delgado sparked the Raiders in the bottom of the fourth inning when he drove in two runners on a two-out double. (Darwin Moore/MTSU SIDELINES)

Photo by Darwin Moore / MTSU Sidelines

Former Middle Tennessee Blue Raider shortstop Riley Delgado was taken in the ninth round (260th overall) by the Atlanta Braves in the 2017 Major League Baseball Amateur Player Draft.

According to the Major Baseball League draft tracker, Delgado is valued at $146,000.

Delgado is the Braves’ third choice so far from a Tennessee college, joining Vanderbilt’s Kyle Wright and University of Tennessee’s Jordan Rodgers.

In his two-year career with the Blue Raiders, Delgado started in all 110 games that he played in and finished seventh in school history with a .369 career batting average. The Miami native was seen as the primary lead-off man for Middle Tennessee over the past two seasons, hitting three home runs and driving in 51. Delgado also scored 79 runs as well.

Delgado also proved to be a sure-handed defender in the middle of the Blue Raider infield, boasting a .966 career fielding percentage.

As a senior, Delgado was named to the Conferece USA all-conference second team for the second year in a row and led the team in hits (82, 19th nationally), total bases (108) and multi-hit games (26). The shortstop hit safely in 45 of 55 games this season.

“Riley’s going to a great organization, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him,” said MTSU Head Coach Jim McGuire in an interview with MT Athletics. “I am extremely proud of everything that he has accomplished in his career here.”